


The Hand of Fate

by Featherbelle



Series: Sentimental Blooms [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:04:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Featherbelle/pseuds/Featherbelle
Summary: Aislinn O’Malley, friend to the Avengers, becomes student to Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. Over time they become more than student and teacher. They become friends…and then something more. What happens when Stephen is captured? What lengths will Aislinn go to in order to rescue the man she loves, and fulfill their combined destinies?





	

**Author's Note:**

> After seeing Doctor Strange a little over a week ago, I descended into a major Stephen crisis. This story, which is hopefully the start of a new series, is the result. 
> 
> The OFC's name, Aislinn, is Irish. It is pronounced "Ash-ling" and means "a vision or dream."

Aislinn walked into the foyer of the Sanctum Santorum, gazing around in wonder at the beautiful décor. She was nervous about meeting the man who lived in this building, but tried to hide it by admiring her surroundings. “It’ll be fine, Ash. No one will hurt you,” Natasha spoke up softly from beside her.

“Should have known I couldn’t hide anything from you,” Aislinn murmured, side-eyeing her friend.

“We would have never brought you here if we thought for a minute you’d get hurt, Raven,” Clint spoke up, and she smiled, hearing his nickname for her.

“Miss O’Malley will come to no harm within this walls, Mr. Barton,” a deep baritone sounded, startling them slightly. Aislinn’s eyes widened at the sound of the admittedly entrancing voice, and without warning, she no longer stood in the foyer of the building. She was in another room…watching herself from afar.

_She stood next to a couch in front of a burning fireplace. The décor of this room was similar enough to the foyer that she made an educated guess. This room was part of the living quarters of the Sanctum. Aislinn watched herself pace back and forth and mutter worriedly. As Ash watched, her other self kept glancing at the ornate grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Then Ash noticed the glint of jewelry on her hand. It was a beautiful silver ring with a multi-colored topaz center stone, while smaller white topazes glittered along the sides. Then a portal rimmed in orange-gold opened behind her, and a tall dark-haired man in a blue leather tunic and pants, brown boots and gauntlets, and a red flowing cloak emerged, slightly the worse for wear. As Aislinn watched in fascination, she ran to the man and threw her arms around him, heedless of any danger that might follow him through the portal._

_With a flick of her wrist, the portal closed, and her hands roamed the man’s body, checking for injury. He laughed softly at her frenzy. “Really, darling, I’m fine.” She gasped softly, recognizing the voice of this man as the voice that had spoken to Clint in regards to her safety. Before her, the other her admonished him. “Stephen! I am allowed to worry, you know. I_ am _your wife after all.”_

Aislinn came out of the vision with a gasp. Her precognitive powers were new, and thus, unreliable. She never knew when a vision would hit her. But she’d had enough of them that her friends in the Avengers recognized her reaction upon having one, and both Clint and Natasha were at her side in moments when they heard her. “What is it, Ash? What did you see?”

The soft sound of a motorized wheelchair echoed off the foyer walls and a clear authoritative voice answered Natasha’s question. “Her destiny, should she choose to pursue it, Miss Romanoff.”

The three of them spun to face the speaker and found themselves looking at two men. One of them was a bald gentleman in a neat suit, seated in the wheelchair they had heard moments before. The other man…

Aislinn gasped again when she saw him, recognizing him from her vision. His name spilled in an unconscious whisper from her lips. “ _Stephen_ …”

One corner of his mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Welcome to the Sanctum Santorum, Aislinn…Mr. Barton…Miss Romanoff. I am Doctor Stephen Strange. May I present my friend and colleague, Professor Charles Xavier?”

~~~

The five of them had relocated to the living area of the Sanctum, after a swirl of Stephen’s hand created a portal for them to travel through. Seeing the orange and gold rimmed passageway made Aislinn twitch with recognition. Stephen noticed and extended an arm to her. “Walk with me, Miss O’Malley?”

Ash linked her arm through his and he brought his other arm around and laid it atop the arm she had given him. “I meant what I said earlier, Aislinn. Absolutely no harm will come to you within the walls of the Sanctum,” he told her as they crossed over the portal which she discovered had led them into the living quarters she’d seen in her vision. Her entire body shivered as her eyes fell on the very spot she’d seen herself pacing in. Stephen’s eyes locked with hers and she heard his voice like silvered steel in her mind. _Absolutely no harm…_

Aloud, he said, “Please, have a seat,” and gestured to the sofa in the center of the room. Aislinn sat on the sofa as it was closest to where she stood, and as she sat, she pointedly sat in such a way that put her back to the spot where she had seen her vision self pacing worriedly. Stephen, sitting beside her, laid a comforting hand on her knee, and she smiled and squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Stephen. I can’t help but be a little frightened at all of this.”

“All of what?” Natasha asked, while at the same time Clint took offense at Stephen’s forwardness with Ash. “Now, look, Mister…”

“ _Doctor_ …” Stephen stressed a touch crossly, causing Aislinn to giggle.

Natasha, Clint and Stephen all looked at her curiously. “What is so funny?”

Aislinn immediately blushed scarlet. “I’m…I’m sorry, Stephen…I…”

Stephen’s mouth fell open in astonishment. “No, don’t apologize. This is… _remarkable_.” He reached over and laid a hand against her cheek. “You got the sense of that memory from _one small touch_ of my mind on yours.”

“What memory?” Clint demanded.

“The first time I met Kaecilius. He, like you, said ‘Mister’…expecting me to fill in the blank, but I am a Doctor, and although I do not actively practice any longer, I worked long and hard for that title, and I choose not to relinquish it lightly. I replied ‘Doctor’ and then he said ‘Mister Doctor’ to which I replied, ‘It’s Strange,’ meaning of course, my surname, but he took a different meaning entirely.”

Aislinn couldn’t help but giggle again. “Come on, you have to admit, that exchange is kind of funny.” Stephen just rolled his eyes.

“But how did you access this memory?” Natasha asked, leaning forward to gaze at Aislinn intently.

“Honestly, I have no idea. Stephen spoke to me telepathically. Just three words…but…” she shrugged and glanced at Stephen. “You really think that was enough of a connection of our minds for me to pull that memory?”

“I do…and more importantly, so does the Professor,” Stephen answered, gesturing with his chin towards Charles.

“Wait…Professor, what did you mean about Ash’s destiny before?” Natasha asked, her voice laced with concern.

Charles moved his chair so that he was on Aislinn’s other side, and reached for her other hand. “Miss O’Malley…”

“Please, Professor, call me Ash, or Aislinn,” she implored with a small smile.

“Aislinn, your powers are astonishing, even to me, and I dare say Stephen is a bit surprised as well,” Charles began.

“What do you mean?” she asked, and Stephen’s hand on her knee tightened a fraction when he sensed her unease. Over her head, Stephen shared a look with Charles. The world’s most powerful telepath took the hint.

“Please, do not be frightened. I am just surprised at finding someone as powerful as you are, or at least, have the potential to be,” Charles explained, trying to put Ash at ease.

“Okay, well all I really know about is the visions, because that’s all I’ve really had so far. You can tell what other powers I have?” she asked, curiosity in her voice.

“If you will allow it, Stephen or myself can scan your mind and attempt to discern what other abilities you possess. We already know you have these visions. And you said you and Stephen conversed telepathically? So you are a telepath as well.”

“Aren’t there different types of psychic visions, Professor?” Natasha asked. “If that’s true, what type of psychic is Ash?”

“That’s a good point, Nat…now that you mention it, I’m curious myself,” Ash put in.

“Well, what did you see?” Clint asked. “If you don’t mind telling us that is. I mean, knowing what you saw might help the Professor.”

Aislinn took a deep breath and rose to her feet. Stephen stood alongside her. “You don’t have to do this if it troubles you,” he offered, recalling her expression upon entering the room.

“No, it’s alright. I was just startled earlier. Besides, Clint is right. The more we know, the more it will help in the long run.” She walked over to stand in front of the fireplace, where she’d seen herself standing in the vision. “I think the vision was initially triggered by your voice, Stephen. After you spoke when we came in, it was as if I was thrown into the vision.”

She began to pace in front of the fireplace, just as she had been in the vision. “I was pacing, here, just like this, only the fireplace was lit. I was worried about something. I kept looking over at the clock too. After that, one of your portals opened up and you stepped out of it. When you showed up, I ran over to you. It must have been you I was waiting for, Stephen. I think _you_ were what I was so worried about, because I wasn’t a bit concerned if anyone or anything followed you through the portal. I closed it myself and then fussed over you, checking to see if you were injured. You claimed you were fine, and I argued back. That was it,” she finished explaining, sounding a bit out of breath. But the way her eyes were focused on her feet told both Stephen and Natasha that Ash was holding something back. Ash and Nat had been friends for a while and Nat knew not to push her on some things, especially things like this that made her very nervous.

Stephen had no such personal knowledge of Aislinn, so he simply made a shrewd guess. Gently touching her mind, he asked, “ _What else did you see? What is it that you don’t want your friend Mr. Barton to know?_ ”

Her head lifted and her eyes flew to his. “ _It was what I said in reply to you, after you laughed and said you were fine. I said…that I was allowed to worry about you because I was your wife._ ”


End file.
